The present invention relates to a removable hopper mechanism in an automatic weighing apparatus, and more particularly to a removable hopper mechanism in a combinatorial automatic weighing or counting apparatus comprising a plurality of weighing machines disposed in circumferentially spaced locations around a dispersing table and a collection chute for weighing or counting articles as supplied from the dispersing table to select an optimum combination of batches of articles and for discharging the selected batches of articles through the collection chute.
Known combinatorial automatic weighing apparatus have pool and weighing hoppers fixedly mounted on respective weighing machines at one side thereof. Where articles to be weighed are sticky in nature, or after the apparatus has been used over a long period of time, articles tend to remain stuck to the hoppers. The deposited articles need to be cleaned off the hoppers which are fixed in position, a process which is tedious and time-consuming. In addition, the fixed hoppers cannot be cleaned thoroughly. It would be possible to remove the hoppers each time they require cleaning. However, they could not be detached with ease, and would need an undue expenditure of much labor for their removal.